AN: This was a story I had planned for over 2 months but never got around to write. Eaviix requested a "fluffy angsty anything" and I found the perfect opportunity to write it. It started as a different concept but it transformed into what you see now.This is a cathartic story for me, I long wanted to read a story with this plot. It's what I wanted ouat to be past season 5. This story follows canon but also erases everything you know about it and replaces it with what it should have been if AE were good writers. In my opinion at least

For the first time, Emma found herself alone in the sheriff station. She was finally able to resume her job, her dad more than happy to give it back to her, after she quit being a sheriff to look after her family. She thought she would be happy, but it soon became clear that it was not her. Yet something prevented her from saying no to him, the man she married. It was weird to explain. While before she had small doubts and she was able to say no to him, now that Henry and Regina were out of her life, she found it even harder to say no. It was odd. Yet she ended up saying no. It was hard, even downright painful, but she did it for her daughter. He was being a downright asshole accusing Emma of cheating. He always came home drunk, yelling at Emma, getting violent whenever the baby cried, and babies cry a lot. He kept telling her to leave the baby, that it was not their baby, that she was not his, that she needed to prove her loyalty to him by sending the baby away. That struck a chord within Emma. She was thrown to the side by so many families, how could she abandon her own child, again.

He said it wouldn't be the first time, can't be that hard to do it after all she left Henry. He said he's not willing to raise a child that's not his. She asked why he accepted Henry but not this baby and he had the audacity to say it was something he had to do to get her, but that he won't put up with another bastard child. That's when she punched him, she actually punched him in the face and he got up to hit her only for her magic to react and freeze him. She kicked him out of the house. This happened a few times, and every time she would find herself forgiving him, and people letting him get away with it. Her parents and friends were supportive of them being together. Some even suggested that maybe she would be better if she abandoned the baby and got rid of the reminder of her infidelity. She never cheated though. So she didn't see it the way they did. Still the relationships were strained. It was all right while the baby was small, but it got harder and harder as time passed by and Emma would not get pregnant again. It was as if her own body was rebelling against her. She started to use her magic to fake images of the two of them being intimate. It was working. She only hoped that Storybrooke would never be depleted of magic.

But her relationships were strained, even between her and her daughter. It was getting worse and worse and the kid started to resent her. Resent her for never standing up to her, never saying anything. And now she was gone and Emma was alone at the sheriff station trying to find her. She had no idea where Sofia ran to. She searched all of Storybrooke and found no trace of the girl.

She was starting to panic and there was no one she could turn to for help. Her parents were indifferent and her so called husband even more so. No one in town cared and some seemed to suggest that perhaps this was for the better. This was wrong. So wrong. She felt a pounding headache and she felt so sick to her stomach. She pulled the bin from under her desk and emptied its contents in there. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong and she had no way around it.

She thought about asking Ruby for help, but she was not on good terms with Ruby. They fought, a lot. Ruby was the only one in town that told Emma she should break it up with Hook, that he was abusing her and that he was abusing Sofia. Emma laughed in her face and flipped Ruby off before she turned her back to the brunette, with a threat that if she ever approached Emma or Hook, she will end her.

What was wrong with her. Why had she done that? Something was wrong, she just didn't know what. She felt weird. Detached in a way from the situation, feeling relief that maybe now her and Hook could be a proper family, but deep down, as if caged inside her was this voice that yelled No this is wrong, so wrong, please, someone help. She didn't know what to think about it. One thought led to another and an idea formed in her head. What if they were cursed?

So she went to her parents and asked them how it felt when they were cursed. To her shock they described what she was feeling right now. There was a small voice telling them that it's okay they're together, while the bigger, louder voice demanded they stay separated. The same was true with her. The louder voice was telling her to forget Henry, Regina and Sofia and go be with Hook, while the small voice crying for help was telling her to get help, to get Henry, to get Regina.

She went home that night and opened her computer. On a simple whim she opened her browser and typed Henry Mills. To her shock she found a Henry Mills published a book called Once Upon A Time. Was this her son, Henry, or some other Henry? She read the summary. It sounded interesting. She ordered an e-book copy of the book and that night she started reading it.

To her shock that was her story, hers and Regina's, their story. It was so bizarre to see it through someone else's eyes. Yet as she read it she realised she found herself cheering for the wrong people to end up together. That when she read what Hook did to her over the dark one fiasco it wasn't pretty. She felt a bit sick to the stomach when she realised how quick she forgave him for trying to kill her family and for lying to her. Heck she felt sick knowing she still forgave him after he was violent towards her. She found herself getting sick again and ran to the bathroom. This was not okay. Something was really wrong.

The downstairs door smashing pulled her out of her thoughts. He was home again, drunk. He went to the kitchen and she knew what would happen next. He would get angry there's no food. Typical. Dread overtook her but then she steeled herself. No. This was not okay. She will fight this. He came up to the bedroom, all angry and drunk. She disappeared in a puff of smoke before he could see anything. She didn't feel like dealing with him. Not now, not ever. Never again.

She found herself sitting in front of a door, staring at the numbers on said door, having knocked just a few seconds before she had enough presence of mind to think about what she was doing. The door swings open and she's met with the angry stares of a brunette.

"What do you want?"

"I want to speak with Ruby."

"She's not here," and Dorothy goes to slam the door in Emma's face. The blonde is quick though, and stops it from happening.

"Please, I need help," Emma's almost begging now.

Ruby appears in the hallway and Emma can see her past Dorothy. The two lovers exchange a look after which Dorothy pulls away from the door to let Emma in. They invite her to the lounge and after offering her a drink, which Emma turns down, they sit opposite her wanting to hear what Emma needs Ruby for.

"First off, I want to say I'm sorry for how I acted. I don't know what came over me. I get this weird reaction whenever someone insults Hook, and it's not normal."

"Okay," Ruby lets the word drag, she knows that's not all of it.

"Two days ago Sofia went missing and I can't find her anywhere. I used magic to locate her but I don't know where she is. What's worse is that no one but me seems to care. Everyone I asked were like Sorry we haven't seen her but a few of them actually said well at least now you and Hook can start over. Like how?"

Ruby and Dorothy exchanged a worried glance. Why would anyone say that about a child? What was wrong with people? Were fairy-tale characters this disgusting?

"Which brings me to my third point which is: I think Storybrooke is cursed. I think I'm cursed."

"What makes you say that?"

"Little things really. I asked mom and dad how they felt under the curse, and that's exactly how I feel now. That sort of fuzziness, inability to stand up for myself to certain people the curse determined I should never stand up to. Then there's Henry's book."

"Henry's book?"

"Yes, it somehow got published on the internet. I read the story, my story and I think something went wrong in Camelot. Or after."

"But you said that the dark one curse was broken, both you and Hook are back to normal, and Rumple is the dark one. Plus the Black Fairy curse was broken too."

"Yes, but there was another curse on Storybrooke, one that was not broken. No true love kiss broke that."

"I can tell you now, there's no curse. Dorothy and I kiss plenty. If there was ever a curse it would have broken, since we share true loves kiss," Ruby says her arms crossed, and Dorothy puts a soothing hand on her thigh.

Emma pauses and thinks for a bit. She had a point against that but her brain was getting fuzzy. She drops her head trying to focus as the two lovers start to get concerned.

"Emma?"

"Sorry, my head hurts. Give me a moment."

The two women look on, concern evident on their features. Emma tries to straighten her posture then through gritted teeth, as if she's in pain she manages to say.

"The dark curse can only be broken with a specific true love kiss designated into the curse. Hook's intention was to hurt me. He tried to kill my family yet I forgave him and married him. I abandoned Henry, when he needed me the most, and allowed him to treat Sofia badly, to the point that my own child started to resent me."

"Emma…"

"Wait. Let me finish." Emma tries to take a deep breath, but struggles to the pain. It was clear to everyone in the room that something was very, very wrong. "I read Henry's book. The curse Hook cast in Camelot was never broken. We only stopped being the dark ones because of Rumple's treason. The curse Hook cast to hurt me was never broken."

"He cast a curse to hurt you?"

"Yes. And I erased people's memories so they wouldn't remember what Hook did. To protect him," with that Emma slumped away from the couch in pain. Ruby and Dorothy ran towards her. As they tried to help Emma settle on the couch, they both exchanged worried glances.

"Don't worry, Emma, we will find a way to help you."

tbc

AN:Okay please please let me know what you guys think.